Arrest follows threatening notes at 3 synagogues

Published 4:00 am, Thursday, July 8, 1999

1999-07-08 04:00:00 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- A San Francisco man has been arrested for allegedly leaving threatening notes at three temples in The City.

Philip Miguel Baptista was taken into custody Wednesday night outside Adath Israel synagogue, 1851 Noriega St. Police, who had the temple under surveillance, said Baptista had just left a note when they arrested him at 10:25 p.m.

Earlier Wednesday, police identified Baptista, 51, as the suspect they wanted for making terrorist threats in signed letters he allegedly left earlier this week at two Richmond District synagogues. Police also said Baptista had two outstanding bench warrants for vandalizing two church buildings.

Hours later, two undercover officers, who had been assigned to watch Adath Israel synagogue, took Baptista into custody after they watched him slip a letter under the door, said police Inspector Milanda Moore of the hate crimes division.

Adath Israel was being watched because Baptista had recently left a threatening letter there, Moore said, and they hoped to catch him doing it again.

Baptista had also allegedly left three envelopes containing rambling, handwritten notes at Congregation Magain David Sephardim at 351 4th Ave.

One envelope was found early Monday morning taped to the orthodox temple's door, and bore Baptista's return address as a hostel on Market Street. A letter inside said, "Today I bought a weapon. If I enter the synagogue it will be with that weapon," according to police.

The rabbi reported the notes to police, saying Baptista had been mailing incoherent letters to the temple every other month for the last three or four years. The rabbi said this was the first to make a threat, police said.

Police checking on the temple late Monday night found another envelope taped to the door, again with Baptista's return address. A third envelope from Baptista was taped to the door early Wednesday morning, police said.

Baptista also allegedly left a "whole stack" of letters at Congregation Chevra Thilim at 751 25th Ave. over the July Fourth weekend, police said.

On Wednesday, police got a late call from an official from Adath Israel telling them they too got a letter from Baptista, but police were unable to investigate that claim before the synagogue staff left for the day.

He has outstanding bench warrants for failing to appear in court on prior charges of vandalizing two church structures, Moore said.

According to those charges, Baptista vandalized scaffolding around St. Ignatius Church at the University of San Francisco on Jan. 19, 1998, and painted two swastikas on the side of the Archdiocese of San Francisco's Chancery at 445 Church St. on July 17, 1998.

"He was taking his time, waiting for the police to get there," Moore said.&lt;